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One of the best animated films of the nineties, despite not being made by Disney (although people will argue with you that it is Disney, until they're blue in the face - or you make them google it) Anastasia was fresh and original, with great songs, a strong-willed heroine and one of the most attractive heroes in any kids movie. Yes, I know he's a cartoon. Set amid the aftermath of the Russian revolution, Anya is the princess who's forgotten her past, while Dimitri is the con-man who helps her remember. Anastasia taught a generation of little girls who the Romanovs were (I knew all the sisters' names and that the brother had a blood disease) and now it's coming back, all set to become a Broadway musical.
But this isn't the first time the story has been re-worked for a new audience. The 1997 version is in fact a re-make, based on the live-action (sadly non-musical) 1956 film, starring Ingrid Bergman and Yul Brynner. To celebrate the announcement of the new sh…

At the weekend I went to see Disney's new live-action Beauty and the Beast. After months of casting announcements, teaser trailers and 'first-look' clips, anticipation was high. But did I enjoy the final result? Yes, very much. I still prefer the original and (although it's probably made millions already and I'm very glad they did make it) the re-make was totally un-necessary. Still, there was lots to like and I wasn't disappointed.
Although based on the classic fairy-tale, Disney's 1991 film put it's own stamp on the story, and is now so integrated into popular culture that chances are, when you think Beauty and the Beast you'll think of talking candlesticks, the bookish Belle and 'crazy old Maurice'. As the first Disney animated film with a credited female screenwriter, Linda Woolverton's Belle is one of the most forward thinking heroines, and, as their budding relationship is prime focus of the story, the Beast is the first Disney p…

It's recently been announced that the newest Disney heroine, Polynesian princess Moana, will not have a love interest. And I guess that's good - female empowerment and all that. So is it wrong for me to feel a little disappointed? I liked Brave well enough, and it felt right that Frozen's Queen Elsa didn't meet a handsome prince (she had a lot on her plate after all, where would she have found the time?) But call me old-fashioned, I like romance in my princess movies. At least as a B story-line. Mulan, for example, wasn't about the romance with Shang, but the love story added something extra without taking away from Mulan's journey. Is it bad to want that for Moana too?

There are some stunning romantic scenes in Disney, and the newer films can do the 'mushy stuff' just as well as ever - Rapunzel and Flynn in Tangled are the perfect example of how to get it right. From what I can see, the best loved Disney films have romance in them, and so to remind y…